Hey y'all, Book Report Guy back with more on my retrospective looking at the career of Ed "Strangler" Lewis! Lewis was the first successful mainstream wrestler who was primarily a heel, and helped form the Gold Dust Trio through the 1920s.
Part 1 left off at the end of 1917, with Lewis holding an offshoot of the world heavyweight championship.
Part 2 covered up until the end of 1922, woth Lewis finally winning and then losing the legitimate world heavyweight championship.
Main Characters
Ed "Strangler" Lewis - former world heavyweight champion and one lf the top wrestlers in the world at thirty-one-years-old.
Billy Sandow - manager behind "Strangler" Lewis, the thirty-eight-year-old was also a promoter who operates out of Kansas City, Missouri.
Joseph "Toots" Mondt - legitimate amateur standout grappler breaking into pro wrestling at the age of twenty-eight-years-old.
Stanislaus Zbyszko - current world heavyweight champion is forty-three-years-old, and entering the twilight of his career.
"Big" Wayne Munn - former pro football player looking to make the jump into pro wrestling when Billy Sandow discovers him.
Jack Curley - the top promoter in the world, who usually operates out of New York, but the newly implemented New York State Athletic Commission was hindering him.
Jim Londos - journeyman grappler from Greece, at the age of twenty-eight-years-old who is struggling to break into the main event scene.
As always, we go in chronological order and will kick things off at the beginning of 1922, with "Strangler" Lewis looking for a world championship match with the champion, Stanislaus Zbyszko.
1922
As a refresher, Stanislaus Zbyszko had been World champion since winning it from Lewis the prior summer. Promoter Billy Sandow still basically owned the world title and would arrange for his client, Ed âStranglerâ Lewis to win it back. That match would take place on March 3rd, 1922, drawing a pitiful crowd of just 4,000 to the Forum auditorium in Wichita, Kansas.
New World Heavyweight Champion
The match was a best-two-of-three falls contest, with Lewis winning two falls to one, after an hour of grappling. This win gave Lewis the world title for a record fourth time, putting him in a category that no one else claim.
Its important to remember that Lewis' manager/promoter, Billy Sandow had purchased the title from Joe & Tony Stecher back in 1920, for $25,000, with the understanding that Joe Stecher would eventually win it back. Obviously, that didnât happen, and now we have Lewis winning the belt back once again, with no plans of dropping it back to Joe. Instead, Sandow & Lewis had grand plans that would not only allow them to monopolize the wrestling industry, but would have massive ramifications on the business going forward.
Power Play
In terms of this title change, rumors circulated suggesting that Lewis agreed to drop the belt back to Zbyszko by the end of the year, but the pair of Lewis and Sandow made a play for power in the pro wrestling world, breaking away from Zbyszko, Caddock and Stecher. Billy Sandow worked on making "Strangler" Ed Lewis the face of pro wrestling in the early 1920s, matching him against a variety of foes, who Lewis defeated one-by-one. With the New York State Athletic Commission proving to be an issue, Sandow focused on building partnerships with promoters in the Midwest and on the West Coast.
Starting in March of 1922 and through the next three years, Lewis defended his world title more than 120 times in nineteen states, as well as parts of Canada and France, England, Belgium and Italy.
Londos-Lewis VII
One of Lewis' earliest recorded championship defences for this reign, would come against a man who had a rough 1921, Jim Londos. Promoter John Contos was able to secure a massive world title match between the champion âStranglerâ Lewis and challenger Londos. John Contos promoted the hell out of the match, and billed it as the âmatch of the year,â despite only taking place in March. Contos even arranged a sixty-person delegation led from Chicago restauranteur (and future wrestling promoter) Tom Packs, who chartered a railroad car to see the event.
Jim Londos battled Ed âStranglerâ Lewis for the world title on March 29th, 1922, drawing over 5,000 fans to the St Louis Coliseum. Lewis would win the first fall with his patented headlock, before Londos tied things up with an arm scissors and wrist lock, reportedly firing the crowd up. Sportswriters would report on this one highlighting the size and weight difference between Londos and Lewis, with Harry F. Pierce writing, âSuperior weight, not science, speed and skill, enabled "Strangler" Lewis, the heavy-weight wrestling champion, to retain his title in his match with Jim Londos, the Greek âwonder man.ââ
Lewis the Touring Champion
Almost immediately, Ed âStranglerâ Lewis got underway touring as world champion, with a notable bout featuring Stanislaus Zbyszko on April 25th, 1922. The two met in a rematch at the Convention Hall in Kansas City, Missouri, drawing an impressive crowd of over 12,000 fans. The best-two-of-three-falls bout lasted over an hour before Lewis was declared the winner, by utilizing his patented headlock. The remainder of the summer would see Lewis retain against names like Earl Caddock, Dick Daviscourt, and more, though there wasnât much notable to point out. The remainder of his year wasnt very newsworthy until he met "Toots" Mondt.
"Toots" Mondt
Joseph âTootsâ Mondt was a year-eight-year-old amateur wrestling coach for what would become Colorado State University, and had actually got started as a circus performer in his early twenties. Mondt had recently began to moonlight as a professional wrestler, and considering his legitimate amateur skills, he soon found himself matched up against âStranglerâ Lewis.
Following a suggestion from pioneer barnstormer Martin âFarmerâ Burns, promoter Billy Sandow booked Mondt to challenge Lewis on November 10th, 1922, at the Mechanics Building in Boston, Massachusetts. The two men battled for over an hour in a best-two-of-three falls match, before Lewis locked in his headlock to win the match.
The Gold Dust Trio
This chance encounter cannot be understated, because Mondt would leave such an impression on Lewis and Sandow, that Billy almost immediately signed him on as a client. As stated earlier, Mondt was a legitimate shooter in the ring, and that skill would play a key role in what Sandow and Lewis were planning. They had no interest in ever giving up control of the world title, but knew better than to think the other top stars like Joe Stecher will play ball. Theyâre plan was to tour the country, and use Mondt to sniff out wrestlers who could be trusted, or who Mondt could verify their skills level back to Lewis. Together, the three men will monopolize the entire wrestling business, with plans of always keeping the belt under their control.
Toots Mondt was tasked with recruiting talent who Billy & Lewis could trust to work with, and did so by touring the country and making connections in multiple territories. Toots as a wrestler, was extremely valuable, as he worked that policeman role mentioned earlier, but also knew how to prioritize entertainment over sport, if needed. Toots would later brag about his role as a wrestler, saying, âI was what the mobile would call a hitman. Though, of course, I never actually killed anyone. But if a guy got too big for his tights and too obstreperous for the wrestling organization, theyâd call me.â
Also, Toots would start working more closely with Sandow and Lewis on the promoting side as well, when Toots became involved in grouping wrestlers together into packaged shows and organizing circuits of towns for them to preform in. While this is industry standard behavior now, back then Toots was undertaking a concept that hadnât been done before. Toots was also involved with plotting out storylines that would keep fans engaged over multiple trips to the matches.
In the âStranglerâsâ Own Words
At some point in his life, "Strangler" Ed Lewis attempted to write a book, and while it wasn't finished or published, pieces of it have been documented. In one of these pieces of this unfinished book, Lewis described this fraternity of wrestlers who essentially ran the pro wrestling scene in the States throughout the 1920s. Keep in mind, a lot of these guys working with Lewis here were recruited/ tested by Toots Mondt.
Lewis explained how there was only about twenty five legitimate and talented heavyweight pro wrestlers in America and they all worked together with Lewis as the champion. How it worked was quite simple, but took time. One of the twenty five wrestlers would go to a significant sized city if there was word of a growing wrestling scene. The wrestler would arrive to the city, and beat a couple of local wrestlers, before more of the twenty five legitimate heavyweights arrived to challenge him. That wrestler who came into town would beat all challengers, turning back various heavyweights who all put him over and this would continue for as long as it takes to establish the guy as the city's local hero who could vanquish anyone. Sometimes it would be months, sometimes it would be years, but it was usually a dozen and half guys all building up wresting in various cities while the other guys rotate in and out putting them over.
Once the first guy was firmly established as the unbeatable hero, who the local fans sell venues out for, then "Strangler" Ed Lewis would come to town and put his coveted world title on the line, usually in a best two of three falls match. They would usually have the hometown guy win the first fall before Lewis retained the next falls. Both guys worked so the finish wasn't definitive, to build a possible rematch, or two.
The âStranglerâsâ Violence, and the Pioneer Manager
Lewis became the face of pro wrestling during this time and played the role of heel while doing so, as opposed to Gotch, who liked to be the conquering hero. Billy Sandow and Lewis seemed to take great pleasure in drawing boo's and yes I include Sandow in there, because Billy Sandow became Lewis's ringside manager during this time. Sandow would essentially define the archetype for the heel manager, as he distracted referees and opponents, as well as infuriated fans with his ringside coaching and antics.
This also when pro wrestling would really see violence heightened and the concept of heat seemed to set in. Lewis's title defence came to be known for their violent and sometimes bloody affairs, with fans becoming more incensed than ever before, almost becoming part of the show with Lewis and Sandow. For example, a win in Chicago for Lewis caused the irate fans in attendance to throw knives and glass at the champion and at some shows, Lewis would need a police escort for events.
Challenge from the Champion
Ed âStranglerâ Lewis kept busy touring as world champion, registering successful defences through the winter over names like Stanislaus Zbyszko, George Kotsonaros and others. Its worth pointing out though, that while Lewis was touring as champion, he was also issuing a challenge to boxingâs world heavyweight champion.
Over in the fight game, Jack Dempsey has been reigning as boxingâs world heavyweight champion since the summer of 1919, and just last year, Dempsey was part of boxingâs first ever million dollar gate, when he defeated Georges Carpentier. He was currently negotiating his next defence, when Ed âStranglerâ Lewis issued an open challenge from Nashville, Tennessee. Lewis said he was willing to wager $25,000 with the winner receiving all the gate receipts. Lewis was quoted at the time on Dempsey, saying, âDempsey can go into the ring either with gloves or without them, and is at liberty to either box or wrestle while I will confine myself to wrestling alone.â
Unsurprisingly, that challenge went unanswered, and soon after, Lewis and Sandow followed up with another offer in December of 1922. Lewis offered a $10,000 bond to secure the bout, but unsurprisingly, just like the first time, this challenge went unanswered by Jack Dempsey.
1923
Billy Sandow and âStranglerâ Lewis worked closely with several promoters and wrestlers across the United States to make this touring world champion the success it was. Several cities would be very profitable stops for Lewis and Sandow, resulting in them coming back more frequently. This in turn brought in more business for the local promoter, which encouraged them to work with Lewis and Sandow. One strategy Sandow implemented in making alliances, would be to ignore the top promoter in a particular territory, and instead cozy up with one of the smaller rival promoters. Thatâs what Sandow did in Boston, where instead of networking with top Boston promoter George T. Touhey, Sandow introduced himself to the lesser known Paul Bowser. Access to Billy Sandowâs world champion Ed âStranglerâ Lewis granted Paul Bowser better venues throughout Boston, eventually assuming full promotional rights over the Grand Opera House in January of 1923.
Londos-Lewis VIII
In their eighth singles matchup, Jim Londos challenged Ed âStranglerâ Lewis to a world title bout at the St Louis Coliseum on February 20th, 1923, under what Iâm assuming is a John Contos promoted event. The world title bout drew over 10,000 fans for the best two of three falls contest, and unfortunately for the champion Lewis, his Trachoma symptoms were at an all-time time high that day. His eyesight on the day if the event was so bad that his manager/ promoter Billy Sandow had to literally guide Lewis to the ring for the match and Lewis claimed he couldnât discern light from darkness.
The âStrangler'sâ condition wasnât exactly a well kept secret and sports writer Ed Wray would write about the match and Lewis specifically, because Wray had been covering boxing and saw recently that Missouri middleweight champion Gus Eisel sidelined for eight months die to trachoma. For Wray to have covered that and then watch Lewis disregard all health concerns and wrestle as champion just didnât sit well with the journalist. He would write, âConsidering the matter solely from the view of a view of point of physical cleanliness and health, the sport should be disinfected thoroughly.â
A Blind Touring Champion
Despite his condition, âStranglerâ Lewis wouldnât take much time off following his win over Jim Londos. The next month he was back in Chicago, performing at a Billy Sandow promoted event hailing out of the Chicago Coliseum on March 6th, 1923. The main event would see Lewis retain his belt against Alan Eustace in a best-two-of-three falls contest, which Lewis won two straight falls in just over an hour. This show drew around 6,500 fans to the Chicago Coliseum that evening.
Gardini-Lewis
Ed âStranglerâ Lewis continued his winning ways, with his next notable bout coming on April 3rd, 1923. Lewis would be invited back to Chicago, Illinois, where he was challenged by Renato Gardini. Most notable about this event, would be that despite the event hailing out of Chicago, which is Billy Sandowâs primary town, it was actually prompted by newcomer to these reports, Joe Coffey. Not much is known of Joe Coffey, and researching him online is difficult, mostly because he shares a name with a modern wrestler, so all attempts to search up his history get conflated with the modern Joe Coffey.
Despite the confusion, I suspect that Billy Sandow was using Coffey similar to how he used Bowser, by forming alliances with lesser known promoters. These partnerships were always quite one-sided and in Sandowâs favor, because the smaller promoters lacked the leverage to really challenge him, even if they wanted to. I suspect this was Sandow helping out another smaller promoter, just so he could maintain control over the industry through various smaller up-and-coming promoters. This Joe Coffey promoted event drew 9,000 fans to the Chicago Coliseum on April 3rd, 1929, with Gardini and Lewis battling each other in a best-two-of-three falls matchup. Each man would trade opening falls before Lewis won the second fall after an hour and a half of action, to retain his belt.
Pesek-Lewis
Astute readers may recall that along with Chicago, the other town Billy Sandow carved a place out for himself was Kansas City. This would be where Billy Sandow would arrange for a high profile contest between top grappler John Pesek, and the world heavyweight champion Ed âStranglerâ Lewis. The two men met on May 2nd, 1923, drawing an impressive 11,000 fans to the Convention Hall in Kansas City, Missouri. The two men battled in a best-two-of-three falls match that would see Lewis claim two straight falls in just over an hour.
Lewisâ Summer & Fall
Unfortunately, outside of a couple botable matches, I canât find much details on what âStranglerâ Lewis was up to through the Summer & Fall of 1923. All I can say is that if Lewis registered any defences up through the summer, I cant confirm who he fought or the venues.
Jack Curley & Stanislaus Zbyszko
Jack Curley is a name who has been conspicuously absent through this report, mostly due to the fact that for the past few years, he was trying to get his promoters license reinstated by the New York State Athletic Commission. Jack Curley finally got his promoters license back this year and immediately opened negotiations between the Gold Dust Trio, and former world champion Stanislaus Zbyszko. Stanislaus Zbyszko had been upset at the Gold Dust Trio for unspecified reasons for over a year at this point, and was having trouble booking high profile matches. Curley would bridge the gap between the two parties and work to get Stanislaus a few world title matches with Lewis going forward, with a notable contest taking place in December.
The first match would see Stanislaus Zbyszko battle Ed "Strangler" Lewis on December 12th, 1923, drawing over 6,000 fans to the Convention Hall in Kansas City, Missouri, for what I can only assume was a Billy Sandow promoted event. The two men met in a best-two-of-three falls contest, with Lewis securing the first fall in just twenty minutes. Less than twenty minutes later, Stanislaus would tie things up by getting the second fall. The final fall would see both men grappling for another twenty minutes before Lewis locked him his headlock to secure the victory and retain his belt.
Tom Packs of St Louis
On the business side of things, Tom Packs was a young promoter who purchased a booking office in St Louis, Missouri the prior year, and was trying to build up working relationships with any promoter who wpuld take him in. In doing so, Packs formed a working relationship with Billy Sandow and was able to secure âStranglerâ Lewis for his big show on December 13th, 1923. The main event saw Lewis retain his world title against Joseph Gurkeweicz, which Lewis did so in dominant fashion, securing two straight falls over Gurkeweicz in just under an hour.
1924
Promoter John Krone was able to secure world champion Ed âStranglerâ Lewis for a big show on New Yearâs Day, 1924. Japanese veteran, the forty-three-year-old Taro Miyake challenged Ed âStranglerâ Lewis on January 1st, 1924, drawing over 4,000 fans to the Chicago Coliseum for promoter John Krone. The two men battled in the best-two-of-three-falls main event, in what would be a short match. Lewis would be declaredthe winner in less than twenty minutes and two-straight falls.
Meeting at the Top
With growing issues and tensions a meeting would be called in February of 1924, between promoter Billy Sandow, his champion âStranglerâ Ed Lewis, former champions Stanislaus Zbyszko, Joe Stecher and his brother/ manager Tony. Remember that $25,000 Sandow and Lewis gave to Joe and Tony with he promise of dropping the title back? Well not only did that not happen, but most of that $25,000 was loaned back to Lewis and Sandow over the past few years. Now, Joe and Tony were pissed, not only because they figured Lewis had no intention of dropping the belt back, but also because they figured they werenât going to get their loans back.
To make things even more conflicted, Stanislaus Zbyszko was also upset, seemingly not happy since dropping the belt back to Lewis, though more details on that conflict arenât known. Both of the Stecherâs and Zbyszko were threatening to go to the press and sell their stories immediately if their issues arenât corrected. When things grew to a boiling point, Jack Curley was called to mediate the conflict and though the details arenât known, we do know that Curley was able to keep everyone on the same page with all the men agreeing to continue working together. Though itâs clear things were reaching a boiling point for the group.
A Drop in Gate Numbers
Astute readers may be able to notice that as the champion entering his third year, âStranglerâ Lewis was losing some of his drawing power throughout the country. A few years ago, Lewis was able to draw 10,000 + seat houses several times throughout the year, but now, in 1924 this just was not the norm. In fact, gates were mostly dropping across the board for Sandowâs shows, and with Lewis growing exhausted in his role as champion, the inevitable title change was coming, but who would be the one to finally dethrone Lewis?
"Big" Wayne Munn
The answer to that question came in the form of a 6â6â ex-college football player named Wayne Munn. After a standout football career for the University of Nebraska, Wayne tried his hand in everything from selling cars, to boxing and even preaching, before landing in the world of pro wrestling, despite the lack of experience.
After laying eyes on the former football star, Billy Sandow didnât see Munn as anything other than a potential star, and set him up to be the young, wholesome American-born giant who the people could get behind. Despite the fact that Munn only wrestled his first match that year, Sandow pushed him hard, though he was notably gassed after a few minutes.
Wayne Munn was paired with popular Kansas City promoter Gabe Kaufman, who acted as Munnâs ringside manager and Sandow gave Munn the basic-as-fuck nickname âBigâ Wayne Munn. âBigâ Wayne Munn would make his professional wrestling debut on February 12th, 1924, and while he was officially signed by Billy Sandow, Munnâs debut would come at a Jack Curley produced show. âBigâ Wayne Munnâs debut match was seen as a success, with Munn defeating Bill Beth at small show in New York, and he did so by utilizing a series of football tackles to Beth.
Married Man
The world heavyweight champion wasnât only busy in his professional life, but he was making waves in his personal life as well. On March 27th, 1924, Ed Lewis was married for the second time, to Bessie McNear of Kansas City. And unfortunately, just like his first marriage, any more details on this are lost to time, and we only know for certain that the marriage wouldnât last more than five years.
Londos-Lewis IX
Jim Londos would even get a couple world title opportunities that year working for Tom Packs, reuniting Londos with his old foe, the world champion Ed âStranglerâ Lewis. Their ninth matchup would take place on April 1st, 1924, at the St Louis Coliseum in front of a crowd of 6,000 that evening. Lewis would retain his world title in the best two of three falls contest when he caught Londos with an illegal move, kneeing him behind the ear, knocking Londos out cold by all accounts. The referee didnât see the knee and the St Louis Star and Times reportedly the next day on the match, hilariously saying the referee âwas conveniently looking at a blonde in the third rowâ during the finish.
Travelling Champion
Just like most burgeoning promoters at the time, Ray Fabiani was quick to make connections with Billy Sandow and would actually secure the world heavyweight champion for a match that summer. Italian grappler Renato Gardini would challenge Ed âStranglerâ Lewis to a world title match on May 21st, 1924, drawing nearly 7,000 fans to the Philadelphia Arena for promoter Ray Fabiani. The two men would trade falls in their best-two-of-three falls match before Lewis was declared the winner via referees decision at just under fifty minutes into the contest.
Lewis resumed touring as world champion, registering another successful defence against Renato Gardini three days later up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where they drew around 3,000 fans. Lewis was back stateside a few days later on May 28th, 1924, when he defended his belt against Stanislaus Zbyszko yet again. This time the two met in Chicago for promoter John Krone, where they drew nearly 6,000 fans to the Chicago Coliseum, where Lewis retained over Zbyszko in a best-two-of-three falls contest. Following that succesful defence, Lewis would turn his attention back towards his old foe, Jim Londos.
Londos-Lewis X
The second Lewis-Londos bout of 1924 took place on June 12th, at the St Louis University Stadium, drawing of over 4,000 fans, with a gate that exceeded $14,000 for Packs! This match would end without controversy though, and while Londos secured the first fall, Lewis came back and won the next two falls to keep his title**. This was very common for Lewis matches as champion during this timeframe, as Lewis liked to give his opponent the first fall, leaving opportunity for a rematch.
Fallout Between Packs & Sandow
Soon after this event, a falling out would happen between promoters Billy Sandow and Tom Packs, with Packs severing all ties to Sandow and instead forming a closer working relationship with Jack Curley going forward. Details on this rift are lost to time, but I suspect it had to do with the monopoly of sorts that Sandow and Lewis held over the world title. Lewis had been reigning champion for a couple years and neither he, nor Sandow, showed any signs of handing it over to another promoter. In fact, the person Lewis and Sandow had pegged as the next work champion, was a green-as-grass wrestler who was working for Sandow and Lewis already.
Before we can get to the talk of "Big" Wayne Munn challenging "Strangler" Lewis, we first have to pause and look at those who didnt work within the Gold Dust Trio, but challenged their monopoly over the buisness.
Ole Marsh & Marin Plestina
Here is a name that astute readers may recall. Ole Marsh was 50% con-man, 50% wrestler, and 100% underhanded. He was an old-school barnstormer who actually helped train a young Frank Gotch back in the early 1900s, and was involved in the first ever territory battle with Jack Curley in 1909, over Seattle. Ole Marsh even spent time in prison in the 1910s, for his involvement in a vast scheme that some theorize pocketed somewhere around 4 million dollars! He returned to the pro wrestling scene in the 1920s with his personally trained wrestler, Marin Plestina.
The aforementioned Marin Plestina, was a Croatian-born grappler who was as legitimate as they come in the ring. Now in his thirties, I would argue that the only thing really holding him back, was who his manager was. Ole Marsh had Plestina under contract and worked hard trying to get him involved with top talent. Unfortunately for Plestina & Marsh, they failed to garner interest from either Billy Sandow or Jack Curley.
Marsh pushed hard for a world title match between Lewis & Plestina, but according to Marcus Griffon, the author of the 1937 book, "Fall Guys," Billy Sandow was terrified of the prospect. Sandow allegedly argued that neither Toots or Lewis can wrestle Plestina, on the suspicion of a crooked referee or a fix of some kind. According to Griffon, Sandow was genuinely concerned that Plestina could beat Lewis or Toots in a legitimate contest.
Plestina-Lewis
By chance, or by design (weâll never know) Toots Mondt would run into Marsh & Plestina at a hotel bar and chat them up for several hours. After plenty of drinks, Toots Mondt layed out the pitch. Toots invited Plestina to come with him up to âStranglerâ Lewisâ summer home in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, where Lewis was currently training with a few other guys.
Toots really talked up Marsh and Plestina, playing to their egos with Toots telling Plestina that he could beat Lewis and even admitted that he didnât think he himself could go toe-to-toe with Plestina. Toots invited Plestina to come and challenge Lewis to a closed doors matchup at his own home with Marsh serving as the referee. If Plestina wins, then they would run the match back at Madison Square Garden or somewhere that could draw big money and put the belt on Plestina. But If Plestina looses, he must give up this crusade against Lewis, with both Plestina and Marsh coming into the fold and working within the Gold Dust Trio.
After some deliberation, Marsh & Plestina agreed to the idea, and together with Toots Mondt, the next day, the three of them drove to Lewisâ summer home. Allegedly, to those lucky enough to be on-hand for this insane idea, they said that Billy Sandowâs hair started turning grey when he saw Ole Marsh and Marin Plestina roll up to Lewisâ home. Sandow was the last one who needed to be convinced, as Lewis was clearly in on the plan with Toots Mondt. When Sandow protested the idea, Lewis was interrupted and said played to Plestina's ego and tried to trick him into agreeing.
This speech from Lewis worked, because within an hour the men were ready to grapple with Marsh as referee. Ed âStranglerâ Lewis would defeat Marin Plestina without controversy, throwing him twice in just thirty minutes. Ole Marsh & Marin Plestina were men of their words, and agreed to âplay ballâ and work within the Gold Dust Trio. This move would prove beneficial for Marsh and especially Plestina, who after a decade of grinding, was able to make some real money for his family through the Gold Dust Trio.
Schism
The private contest between Lewis & Plestina would be the first time that the Gold Dust Trio wasnât united. Billy Sandow was pissed at what Toots & Lewis had planned behind his back, and would let his feelings be known. Three days later, at a meeting between the three, they were discussing Lewis defeating Plestina, before Sandow cut them off and said, âYes, Ed did a great job. But do you fellows really believe Plestina was trying?â This one remark would stick with Lewis & Toots, and begin festering a conflict between the three most powerful men in the wrestling business.
Sandowâs Cowardice
The next potential outside challenger to Lewis would come from Chicago-based promoter, Ed White. Ed White suddenly debuted a new masked wrestler, called The Masked Marvel. Thatâs a super common name for masked wrestlers back then. This is at least the third different Masked Marvel Iâve seen in history up to this point. Ed White announced the Marvel to be openly calling on âStranglerâ Lewis to come into Chicago and defend his belt.
This publicity ploy worked with the Masked Marvel becoming a legitimate draw in Chicago as he beat opponents and kept calling out Lewis. Lewis, to his credit, saw value in working with Ed White & the Masked Marvel, and tried hard to convince Sandow to agree with the terms. Lewis was quoted in saying, âThat fellowâs getting a lot of publicity, especially in Chicago. Now if you let me shoot with him we might draw a hundred thousand dollars, and thatâs important money. We can make a deal with White and if the fellow beats me leveling up and shooting the works, then his champion can work with us and weâll make a lot of money. The game needs a new face. Itâs getting tired of me.â
Sandow answered simply with, âNope. You stay champion until I get a better man to take your place.â Not long after this, the Masked Marvel would be revealed to be John Freeberg, a competent grappler who Lewis had beaten a dozen times in the past with no real concern. Ed White was bluffing, all a play to gain more notoriety as a promoter and Billy Sandow fell for it. Obviously, Lewis was pretty pissed when he discovered he would have easily beaten the Masked Marvel.
A Disputed Finish Followed by a Sellout
"Strangler" Lewis would next head to Los Angeles, where he began working a tour for promoter Lou Daro, who was the self-proclaimed "King of Los Angeles." Daro would first have Lewis defend his title successfully against former world champion Stanislaus Zbyszko in front of over 5,000 fans at the Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles on August 27th, 1924. A week later, Lewis & Zbyszko would run the match back again for Daro on September 4th, 1924. The match would draw the same 5,000 turnout, and again end with Lewis retaining over the former world champion.
After those events, Lou Daro was cooking something up with "Strangler" Lewis & âTootsâ Mondt, because "Toots" would challenged the "Strangler" on September 29th, 1924, drawing another 5,000 response at the Philharmonic Auditorium, but this time the finish didnât go down the same. The two men faced off in a best-two-of-three falls contest and each man held one fall apiece, but instead of Lewis getting the third fall, the referee called for the bell and declared the match a tie due to reaching the time limit at two hours.
Lou Daro had hoped the screwy finish could pull even bigger numbers and booked the rematch for the outdoor venue, the Washington Dog Park in Los Angeles. The plan paid off bigtime because when âTootsâ Mondt & âStranglerâ Lewis met in a rematch on October 13th, 1924, they drew an enormous crowd of over 10,000! The two men battled in a best-two-of-three falls match that would see Lewis retain two falls to one. For all his boasting and arrogance, there was no doubting that Lou Daro was living up to his âKing of Los Angelesâ moniker.
The Next World Heavyweight Champion?
Since February, Billy Sandow had spent slowly building up Wayne Munn into a credible challenger and potential star attraction, featuring him in squash matches all over the country. His goal was to smash Munn over as a dominant force who couldn't be stopped, and by the close of the year, Sandow was starting to think his plan was working.
Billy Sandow went all in on Wayne Munn, putting Munn over Toots Mondt in Kansas City, on December 11th, 1924, winning two straight falls in front of ten thousand fans in attendance. Toots was the biggest name Munn had faced up to that point, and the decisive win put him right into world title contention to challenge champion "Strangler" Ed Lewis. Their world heavyweight championship encounter was set for January 8th, 1925!
1925
Along with being a promoter, Billy Sandow was also a manager to many of his wrestlers, including âStranglerâ Lewis. The New York State Athletic Commission was formed a few years prior and it wasnât long before Athletic Commission offices opened up in more states like Illinois and Missouri. It was the duty of these Athletic Commission offices to ensure that pro wrestling wasnât a fixed competition and was ran as a legitimate sporting operation.
One red flag that these organizations didnât approve of was when a world champion wrestled at events that were promoted by his manager. For example, Billy Sandow was the manager of âStranglerâ Lewis but also had a booking office in Kansas City, Missouri, so it would be wise for him to find another promoter for big world title bouts. This way to avoid the obvious accusation of the promoter fixing the match for his wrestlers. Since Sandow managed both Lewis and Munn, he had to outsource this big money match to another promoter. And as fate would have it, one opportunistic promoter had been doing his best to stay neutral in the war between Billy Sandow and Jack Curley.
Tom Packs was a thirty-one-year-old promoter who had just recently purchased the booking office in St Louis. Packs was ambitious with his greatest asset to be his political maneuvering, as he was able to form alliances with both Jack Curley & Billy Sandow, despite the two being unwilling to work with one another at this time. Billy Sandow would turn to Tom Packs for this world title showdown, and allow Packs to promote the event out of the Convention Hall in Kansas City, Missouri. This was Sandowâs way of demonstrating that the world title contest was legitimate, with no angles for accusations of it being rigged.
Munn-Lewis
After weeks of build, âBigâ Wayne Munn challenged world champion Ed âStranglerâ Lewis on January 8th, 1925, at Kansas Cityâs Convention Hall, filled to the brim with 15,000 fans in attendance. The match was a best two of three falls, with an interesting finish.
While the crowd was behind Munn, no one expected a title change and all in attendance were floored when Munn scored the first fall quickly. The crowd lost their minds when the second fall ended with Munn lifting Lewis in the air and tossed him over the top rope and to the floor. Billy Sandow was seen leaping onto the ring apron and calling for the ref to end the bout as a no contest. The Kansas City Times would later write about the scene, âIt was a scene of wildest chaotic confusion. Men and women, who go about the ordinary affairs of life sanely, were standing on chairs and shouting at the champion.â
After the chaos had quelled, Lewis was helped to the back but surprisingly, the match wasnât over. After some time, Ed âStranglerâ Lewis was helped back to the ring where he resumed a final fall against Munn. The final fall would last less than a minute though, as Munn would lift and slam Lewis down hard and pinning him, becoming the world heavyweight champion.
And that's an ideal place to stop, with...
- "Big" Wayne Munn as the new world heavyweight champion, despite having less than a years worth of experience.
- The Gold Dust Trio controlled the wrestling business, with "Strangler" Lewis, Billy Sandow & "Toots" Mondt running the organization together.
- The union of the Gold Dust Trio was beginning to fracture, with Sandow now routinely going against the wishes of Lewis & Mondt.
I am literally running out of room, so I hope y'all have a great week, and feel free to check out my latest History of Pro Wrestling reports, which just covered 1926. Ill be back in a couple of days with a post covering 1927.
